Public Art Committee

DURHAM CULTURAL ADVISORY BOARD Adaron Hall, Durham Arts Council Wednesday, June 4, 2014, 4:00 pm. Members Present: CULTURAL ADVISORY BOARD ___ Zoila Airall _X_ Daniel Ellison _X_ Sherry DeVries ___ Pamela Green _X_ Mark Hough ___ Medina Johnson ___ Frank Konhaus _X_ Renee Leverty _X_ Ashley Mattheis ___ Cynthia Mebane-Watts _X_ Chris Ogden _X_ Lou Rollins PUBLIC ART COMMITTEE ___ Joanne Andrews _X_ Kathy Bartlett _X_ Sherry DeVries _X_ Steven Gatlin ___ Heather Gordon ___ Lucy Grant _X_ Mark Hough _X_ Noel James ___ Jessica Moore _X_ Chris Ogden _X_ Kenneth Rodgers ___ Karen Slotta OEWD Staff Present: _X_ Peter Coyle Also present: Lisa Miller, Kevin Lilley, Brenda Miller Holmes, Rodrigo Dorfman Public Art Committee chair Mark Hough called the meeting to order at 4:05pm. Those present introduced themselves. Hough introduced Brenda Miller Holmes for a presentation of the proposed final design for the Durham Civil Rights Mural. She displayed and discussed the design and reported that she is in the final stage of completing portraits of the people to be depicted in the mural. She reported that in addition to the people graphically depicted, the large hands (six to eight feet across) in the lower center of the design will allow for names of other people to be listed as components of the shadows of the hands and arms, so that additional people can be added, including at future dates. Renee Leverty noted that the link between the Mural website and the History Hub web site will allow for additional Mural-related information The information can be on those in the final mural, as well as others, and can be added and expanded upon on the web over time. It would be impossible for one mural to capture every person who has contributed to Durham’s civil rights history. Holmes noted that the documentary film being produced by Rodrigo Dorfman as part of the project will also provide stories about the mural and the civil rights history. She reported that she is in discussion with the Durham Public Library about the library hosting the mural web site. Sherry DeVries suggested that a booth at Centerfest could provide a mechanism for the continued collection of information. Holmes reported that she is waiting to colorize the design until the design is approved, but she reviewed the use of colors and will submit the final color version to City staff. Chris Ogden made a motion for the Public Art Committee to recommend approval of the design and authorize the staff to make the final review of the mural’s colors. Noel James seconded the motion, which passed unanimously. Sherry DeVries made a motion for the Cultural Advisory Board to accept and approve the recommendation of the Public Art Committee and to forward that approval to the City staff. Dan Ellison seconded the motion, which passed unanimously. Hough reported on the results of the judging of the Bull City Sculpture Show purchase prize competition. A committee suggested by the Cultural Advisory Board made a recommendation, which has been forwarded to Liberty Arts, the sponsor of the exhibit. Liberty Arts asked for some assurance that the City would be likely to accept the piece before it makes a final determination of the award. Hough reviewed issues that need to be considered by the city, including issues of child safety, maintenance, and other matters. The recommended piece is Winding Out, a wooden abstract sculpture by Robert Winkler, a North Carolina artist. The piece received the unanimous endorsement as the first choice of the jurors. Kevin Lilley, from the City’s General Services Department and one of the jurors for the prize, discussed some of the issues, noting that because of Americans with Disabilities Act regulations, the work could not be placed on a pedestrian path as it contains an overhanging element that is less than 84 inches from the ground and could pose a potential risk to the sight-impaired. The piece could go on a lawn or other non- pedestrian space. While it is not necessary at this time to finalize a proposed location, Lilley recommended that the committee identify three potential locations that could satisfy all technical and legal requirements. That would provide a reasonable expectation that the City could accept the piece. The members present discussed a number of possible locations and decided that the Public Art Committee should appoint a task force to review possible locations and report back to the Public Art Committee. Lilley and Lisa Miller, from the City/County Planning Department, agreed to be additional members of that task force, which would also include Noel James, Kathy Bartlett and Daniel Ellison. The group will be asked to recommend at least three potential locations. The task force will meet in Central Park, where Winding Out currently is installed. They will report back to a special meeting of the Public Art Committee on June 10 at 3:00 pm at the Durham Arts Council building. The meeting adjourned at 4:23 pm.